Planning for retirement

Whew! I am planning to slow down. I mean it! Since I'll be officially retired in a few weeks, I think it is time.
I've been feeling very tired and sore lately and it's largely because I'm pushing myself. OK, I've said yes to a few requests. Mainly, though, it's me.
I think the very time demanding physically trying stuff needs to be cut back. I'm going to limit my art making because that is hard to do when one has to meet deadlines. I'll mainly dabble at that. Most everything else in my life except laundry is quite manageable. I've modified a lot, even laundry. Laundry is something I've spread out over several days. Hauling wet stuff out of the machine and folding and hanging things push the limit. Son, Joe H., has been a dear and helps me with that.
Oh, it's been great fun making lots of art. Scrapbooking, particularly digi, is way easier though. I like the constraints of a 12 x 12 page. I've done other formats like mini books, 8.5 x 11 and odd shaped pages and pocket pages. 12 x 12 is my favorite. I like the constraint of the conventions too: photo, title, journaling and embellishments.
Art, of course, pushes boundaries spatially, physically, emotionally and artistically. So, it's nice to have art as an option. Smaller doses than I've been at, though.
It will be my present to myself as I reach the age which everyone (well, maybe not some people my age or older) considers to be "senior". I understand boomers place that definition at somewhere around 78-80. We do not "feel" old mentally but for many of us the wear and tear and health conditions make our bodies tell us it is true, we are getting old.
I'm very aware of the sense of time left and very cognizant that I'll not meet all the goals in the next 20+ years that I hope for. It's OK.
People, of course, are what matters most. Even there, hoping for love, kindness, and acceptance with all is an impossible goal. Perhaps worth trying though.

A few more for my records

 I decided to post a few more of my early exercises. I like having this record on my computer. I'll be able to refer back to see where I've been in the process of learning this craft.

Some of my art

I know I promised to post some of my projects. There are many in process but I do have a few complete. I'm sure many of you who've been to art school recognize some of these exercises. It's fun to create these pieces. I have a hard time because of the arthritis so I do not do as much as I'd like to get done. Still, I can tell I'm getting better, albeit slowly.
The collages deal with art principles like color, texture, line, shape and text.
The drawing is one of my first with ink.
Enjoy!

Curated Albums Class starting soon at Get It Scrapped

The Curated Albums class includes:

• Video and written lessons each week
• One dozen curated album ideas
• Four curated album story arcs
• Design ideas for physical album, covers, dividers, and table of contents options
• Print-, cut-, and digital-design files for curated album storytelling
• Curation process walkthroughs including brainstorming ideas and digitizing paper pages with photography, scan-and-stitch, and send-out services
• Private forum and gallery
• Weekly office hours (with recordings)

Hope you'll take a look at this class and join us. These special classes, not part of the regular membership, add so much to the already rich content of the site membership.

Get it Scrapped

Note: discounted pricing to October 28!

Lots of inspired scrapbooking

 I have been looking at ads and set lately and thinking about how some ideas could be translated into scrapbook pages.
My work in progress was featured on Instagram #getitscrapped today and I thought I'd let you see my final project.
I's late so I'll add a bit more tomorrow.
It's been busy and it's impacting my health. Need to say "No" more.
Well, some of it's been fun and here's a page that I had a great time making and it commemorates an entertaining ever, too.

Fancy Pants - ME-ology, Pan pastels, stash, Studio Calico, JBS, Freckled Fawn, Amy Tangerine stamp,

Well, you'd think by now, I'd have learned not to make predictions about when I'll get back to the blog. "The best laid plans..."

You can check out my thoughts at process on the Instagram feed from GetItScrapped where this photo of my work in progress was featured

I also am getting inspired by the Cropped Challenge at Pixels and Company (not in competition) and by Scrapbook Coach at Get It Scrapped.

I made a paper page using the text in a patterned paper to work as my journaling

Then I scrap lifted myself for this digi page

Today I finished my "Cropped" round3 inspired layout

I loved those Happy and Dice elements to feature my impulse to visit Myanmar, just because I was in the east (Korea) and thought I should explore more. I knew so little about Myanmar and was utterly fascinated and delighted with the experience.

I 

I had a few minutes tonight to work on the sloppy parts of my layout. It had lots of errors, even though I liked my story. I added the splatter and the heart and the dotted paper and fixed the word Chicken which was a major rush failure. There is more unity now and I cannot find any obvious errors. Do point them out if you see ones I've overlooked. I learned a lot from doing this and I've ended up with yet another layout to print up for my album.

Participating in Cropped. Well, not sure.

celeste knight wood veneer with love colored wood, sugarplum quiet solitude paint wash used at low opacity over flowered paper ingredient, arsenale white, Chunk5, gb bubbly, template Tiffany Tillman superficial template2, pro retime, drutter everylittle bit

, mommyish pumpkin spice and styles, creashuns squirrels and nuts, jenallyson antique papers, wwc aflutter, ayd focusclickrepeat

Pixels & Co. mystery ingredients

I wanted to participate in Cropped and posted my layout in a timely fashion but it may not have made it to the proper gallery at Pixels&Co. The rules did not say one would be disqualified for such an error but it is kinda like wandering into Cupcake Wars and doing Cropped, I guess. Well, I did predict not making it past the first round.

I did get a LO done with 10 designers products (actually, more), my own word art (which I hope was OK) and the four mystery ingredients. I had a lot of fun. One ingredient was a paper that became my ribbon. I muted a paper with a paint effect from one of my ten designers, used another ingredient smaller as a sticker and used the other paper as a paper though I made it smaller so I could add another paper as a background border. I did not do anything too fancy. I used a PS eraser at low opacity for texture on my "Chicken" work art and added a stroke to Arsenale White.  It was a true challenge to mix in 10 designers with the four mystery ingredients but I used the colors in the paper I used as a ribbon and the golden neutral paper to choose my other elements, like the veneer flowers, the camera, the base paper and the patterned paper cards. Of course, the photos from the kitchen helped me select the chai tea flair and one of the patterned papers. The pink in the sticker helped me color my stitching and the stroke around the small photo.

It was a quick LO and despite that and using a lot of different designer's items I am surprised at how much I like it.